


Picking Up The Tab

by CyclonicJet



Series: Vanksworld [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-20 05:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyclonicJet/pseuds/CyclonicJet





	Picking Up The Tab

“You sure this is the right place?” Flinn whispered into his earpiece.

“Absolutely!” Rascal declared confidently back at him. “Have I ever led you astray.”

“Yes.” he replied flatly. “More times than I care to count.”

“Well what makes you think I’m wrong this time!?” the AI demanded.

“It’s just that...well I thought the place would be...”

“Be what?” Rascal pressed.

“...less public.” he finished. Flinn had performed many a back room deal since he had taken on his new life. Traded damn near everything that could be traded for money. And in his experience, pretty much all of his clientele thus far had tended to prefer the privacy offered by a darkened corridor, or a secretly hired room at the back of an out of the way bar. They did not for instance typically choose to perform an exchange of highly sensitive information in the middle of one of the most extravagant restaurants in the entire Gaulian Star Cluster.

Stood on the veranda, overlooking the countless tables below, Flinn felt remarkably out of place. This was a place of refinement. Of style and substance. Here the rich and affluent rubbed shoulders and made merriment of the good fortune life had been inclined to deal them. It was not a place for the kind of deeply underhanded deal he had come here to do.

“Sir?” a voice called behind him. Turning around he found himself face to face with an attendant. “Do you have a reservation sir?” he drawled out in a tone that made it clear he did not in fact believe that Flinn did so.

Flinn did not appreciate the condescension. “Actually as it so happens, I do.” he smarmed back.

“Very good sir.” the attendant said rather more stiffly. “What table is the reservation for?”

Fuck. He had been utterly reliant on Rascal for this job. He had set up the meeting and everything. As such he hadn’t the faintest idea what table the meeting was going to take place.

“Ughhhhh…” he drawled out like a man who had just learnt the startlingly true fact that all kaplysian war priests were actually bound to a strict code of nonviolence, shattering the preconceived notion that the entire sect were little more than a group of bloodthirsty butchers.

“Table AX-86” Rascal whispered into his ear.

“Table AX-86!” Flinn repeated confidently, recomposing his briefly lost demeanour.

“Table AX-86?” the attendant repeated for confirmation.

“Yes indeed!” Flinn said. “Table AX-86.”

The attendant took one second more soaking in Flinn’s appearance before glancing down at his holo-tablet. “AX-86?” he said cocking an eyebrow. “You are a mister Arthur Boomblax?”

‘I’m going to fucking kill that good for nothing waste of code.’ Flinn thought to himself.

“Of course I am! Who else would I be?” he exclaimed proudly.

The look on the attendants face clearly suggested he thought otherwise, but he seemed disinclined, or perhaps too apathetic, to pursue the matter any further. “Very well Mr Boomblax. If you will follow me.”

As he followed behind the attendant, Flinn allowed his eyes to scan the room, searching for whoever his contact might be. But in amongst the sea of faces he could find none staring back at him, it could have been absolutely anyone in the room. “Here we are sir.” the attendant said gesturing to the table.

Flinn sat down and began scanning the room once more. “Please feel free to call another attendant when you are ready to order sir.” the attendant offered before departing in what Flinn thought looked like a very relieved manner.

“Fucking Boomblax!” he shout whispered into his comms. Snide snickering greeted him on the other end. “Oh yeah?” Flinn snided back. “Well we’ll see if you’re still laughing once I get back there and-”

A very large male Bulsari suddenly dumped himself into the free seat opposite him. “Ummm. Hello?” Flinn said turning to him.

The Bulsari leaned forward and placed his arms on the table. “You are Boomblax?”

‘God fucking damn it.’ he thought to himself. “Yes.” he said.

The Bulsari spent a moment looking at him before nodding. “Good. Then you have the data packet?”

“Who wants to know?” Flinn asked cautiously.

“My employer.” he replied flatly. “He is not known for being a patient man. So I would suggest answering my question promptly and succinctly Mr Boomblax.”

Flinn wanted nothing more than to ask Rascal if this was actually his contact, but the AI was being silent and he dared not reveal that he had an accomplice just yet. “Then yes. I have it.” he said at length.

“Good.” the man said. He abruptly leaned into his own earpiece as someone spoke to him. After about ten second he refocused on Flinn. “The boss wants to speak to you. Face to face. Stay here.” With that the hefty man rose and departed back amongst the crowd of tables. Flinn quickly lost sight of him in the dense midnight haze that sat heavy on the room.

“Rascal?” he whispered. “Was that my contact?” There was no reply. “Rascal?” he repeated. Still no reply. ‘Oh that can’t be good.’ he thought to himself.

“Mr Boomblax I presume?” a voice wafted from behind him. Turning around he found himself facing a human inspired android standing over him.

“Yessss” he said slowly.

“Excellent.” replied the droid. “I am glad I did not get lost finding my way to your table. One is terribly likely to get lost in this insufferable haze if they are ill accustomed to it.”

“Ugh-huhhh” Flinn drawled as the droid rounded the table and sat down. In one hand he bore a short black cane that he very clearly did not need, which he promptly placed down between his legs and proceeded to lean on it despite the fact he was sitting down.

“Now I’m not one to waste time. So let us cut straight to the chase.” he announced cheerfully. “I am here to collect the information you possess. To that end you are going to hand over the data pack you posses to me, and then I will generously allow you to leave here with your life. Do you find these terms agreeable.”

Two very distinct voices began talking in Flinn’s head at this proposition. The first was that of reason. ‘Well it’s not the worst deal I’ve ever been offered. Getting out of this alive is a pretty good perk by all accounts.’ The second was very definitely not that of reason. 'GODDAMN SON OF A FUCKING-’ it roared cacophonously. His mouth acquiesced to neither of them. “Excuse me?” he said. ‘EXCUSE ME!?’ the two voices roared at him.

The android took on a perplexed look. “I thought I was fairly clear in my offer, but perhaps I left room for misinterpretation. So let me be more direct. Hand over the the data chip or perish. Do we have an understanding now?”

Flinn had been in situations like this before. His life balancing on the edge of a knife. Say the wrong thing and he’d be dead before he could even run more than ten feet. So in situations like these he had long since learned that actions were a stronger course of action than words. But he still always still felt inclined to use words, they always offered a certain catharsis that action alone just couldn’t beat.

“Go fuck yourself!” His voice seemed to echo, as at exactly the same moment he spoke, the woman at the table adjacent to him had copied his statement of contempt verbatim. But where as Flinn’s tone had possessed a certain coolness and poise to it, the woman had spat hers in pure vitriol. Flinn, who had risen and drawn his concealed blaster, turned to look at the woman. She herself had also risen from her table, and drawn an electro sword from out of seemingly nowhere, which she had then proceeded to point at the three men opposite her.

But they were not alone in having stood up. At the same time as the both of them has risen, a whole host of other seeming patrons had also stood up and pulled out weapons of there own, pointing them either at Flinn or the woman. Both Flinn and the sword woman stopped to stare at each other, confusion written very clearly on both of their faces. They were not alone in this act either. Everyone else who had risen was also looking around confused. ‘What the hell is this?’ Flinn asked himself.

The android stood up. ‘What is the meaning of this!?’ he demanded. His answer came swiftly in the form of a bolt of ionised plasma, which struck him square in the back. He flew forward onto the table and lay there sprawled, very clearly dead. A quick glance behind where the droid had stood told Flinn who the killer was. It had been one of the patrons, who clearly weren’t really patrons, having been a little too twitchy on his trigger.

‘I should move.’ he thought to himself. He quickly obeyed the thought, diving backward and taking shelter underneath the table behind him as a swarm of angry flying green and red gnats erupted in the air where he had just been. A moment later the women with the swords appeared next to him, she had apparently managed to magic a second blade up from somewhere.

“Go find your own shelter!” he hissed. “This one’s taken!”

“It’s a free universe asswipe.” she hissed back. “Try learning to share.”

‘Who the fuck is this woman?’ his inner monologue plied. “Who the fuck are you!?” he blurted out. “What was that all about!?”

“I could ask you the same thing!?” she seethed back. “But if I were to take an educated guess, I’m willing to bet that your deal went just about as south as mine did just now.”

“Excellent deduction super sleuth.” he said in a tone that suggested he was rolling his eyes, despite the fact that he didn't actually roll his eyes. “And now we’re both trapped here. Cowering underneath a table.”

“I don’t cower.” she said in a tone that brokered no argument. “I have tactically repositioned.”

“Oh right! My bad.” he said with mock chagrin. “I remember this one time I tactically repositioned my way into a dumpster to avoid being shot. Now sure they may have called it cowering, but hey, I know the real story so that’s all that really counts right!”

“Do you ever shut up?” she said.

“Sometimes. Usually when I-”

She slapped her hand over his mouth. “Shut up and listen. We need to move now if we want to get out of this alive.”

He ripped her hand from his mouth. “WE!?” he asked incredulously. ‘When did this-” he indicated back and forth between them ‘-become a we!?”

“When you decided to jump into my pre-designated tactical cover.” she smarmed back. “The two of us working together stand a better chance of getting out of here alive then if we act alone.” She tilted her head slightly before continuing. “Annnnnd you’ll draw some of there fire too, so even if you’re useless else-wise at least you’ll be good for that.”

“Gee. Thanks. I bet you ask all the guys to draw focus fire for you on the first date. Real old school romantic you are.”

“Shut up and be prepared to move on my signal.” she said turning her attention back to the pitched battle waging around them. 

“And why the hell should I trust you!?” he said, finally asking something of pertinence.

“Who said that you could?” she shot back without turning to look at him. “But right now both of our options are limited. And at the very least I know you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”

“Days still young...” he muttered.

“Thusly!” she said over cutting him. “That tells me you have at least no grievance with me, so I hope you can use your brain long enough to work out that we need to cooperate here. So again, shut up and be ready to move when I say so!”

He stared at her, trying to get a measure of her. ‘Is she the one? Could she be it?’ he asked himself. He had been searching for so long that he practically given up hope. But here she was, the perfect candidate. He’d have no better opportunity to ask. He might not have another opportunity to do so. He opened his mouth to speak.

“NOW!” she bellowed lifting herself upward and thrusting the table forward at a second already overturned table hiding two gunmen behind it. Flinn was fast behind her. ‘Damn it.’ he thought to himself.

* * *

“All units. This is an immediate 7890-3.” the police scanner buzzed. "All units are requested to respond immediately to the Anucia-Marvelo restaurant following reports of active blaster fire. Repeat all units-”

Rascal sighed. “Can’t take him anywhere.” He pitched the ship down and around, descending towards the Ferns district where the restaurant was located. Ever since he had lost contact he had been concerned. Concerned enough to launch the ship and move towards the restaurant at least.

He decided to try the comm unit again. “Flinn? You there?” he asked.

The sound of pitched combat fed back to him as he also managed to tap into a visual feed from the security cameras inside the restaurant. He scanned the carnage unfolding inside. Despite the chaos he managed to locate Flinn. At the processing speeds Rascal moved at, he had the unique luxury of being able to effectively slow time down so he could properly analyse any given situation.

Flinn was locked in an evasive manoeuvre, avoiding an electro baton being swung down at him by some gruff looking assailant. What was more intriguing is how behind him, and seemingly covering his back was an unidentified female wielding dual electro blades. What was all that about? “Flinn?” he asked again, slowing down his clock speed to a more human time scale. “Who’s the girl?”

“Can’t-” he cut out. “-really-” he cut out again. ‘-talk right-” there was an almighty explosion as a grenade exploded some thirty feet away from him.

“Flinn. I set this meeting up to trade information. Not to pick up ass!” he declared scoldingly.

“Try being useful and finding us a way out of here god damn it you worthless pile of junk code!” he yelled down the comms.

“Ok. Ok.” Rascal said defensively. “No need to get snippy.” He pulled up a diagram of the building. He spent several moments, which in human terms were little more than nanoseconds, assessing the best way out.

“Alright. Head for the roof. I’ll pick you up there. Also you should probably hurry. The police will be swarming that place real soon.”

If Flinn replied he never heard it. A static wall erupted as a police cruiser heralded him. “Unidentified vessel! Alter course immediately. This is a restricted area!” Rascal sighed to himself again. Why couldn’t things ever just be easy for once?

* * *

  
“Seven!” Flinn yelled as he blasted clean through the woman who had been aiming at his companion in arms, that he still only knew by the title sword woman. ‘I should actually get her name at some point.’ he mused to himself.

“Gnarcal shit!” she yelled back as the two of them blundered their way into the main lobby, laser bolts still whizzing by fast and furious all around them. “No way are you that far ahead of me!”

“You’re the one who started counting!” he snapped back defensively. “Don’t hate the player just cause you suck at the game!”

“Hey!” she yelled darting backward a step to avoid a stray shot. “I’m not the one who can’t count!”

“Of course I can count!” he yelled. “For instance-” he blasted the man running at her from behind. -now I count eight!”.

“Fuck off! It’s three at best!” she said. She then very suddenly dashed up into his face and jabbed her sword over his shoulder. A spray of white blood splattered onto Flinn’s back. “And now it’s two.” she said with a devilish smile.

“You mean seven.” he said. Her face dropped and she stepped back again.

“We can figure it out later.” she said detached and cold once again. “First we need to get out of here.” She began moving towards the front door.

“Wait!” he said. “I’ve got a better way! Follow me!” he said moving towards a side door labelled ‘Staff Only’.

“Where the hell are you going!” she roared still running towards the door. “The front door is right-” The ornate double doors exploded inward as armed riot police poured inside. She double backed. “Ok then! We go with your plan!” she said.

Flinn reached the door and bashed it open to find two security droids descending the staircase that lay beyond it. “Ah.” he said. “Wrong door.” He closed the door. Turning around though he found his companion charging towards him at full tilt. “No wait! No! Stop-” she slammed into him and barged the two of them back through the door. Flinn landed hard on the deck and felt the air in his lungs extracted as she used him to cushion her own fall.

Before he could regather his wits, he heard violent gunfire and saw blurred motion. “One!” he heard her cry. He slapped himself, his blurred vision returning to normal. He was just in time to see her eviscerate the second security droid. “Zero!” she declared. “We’re even now!”

“Five.” he coughed getting back up. 

“Again. Gnarcal shit. And again. We can discuss it later.” she said. “So. We’re are we heading now?”

He pointed upward. “The roof.” he puffed. He was still slightly winded.

She stopped and looked at him. “The roof?” she said somewhat disbelievingly.

He nodded. “Yup.”

She started looking around the staircase as if she had lost something. “Is that another bad joke or?”

“Dead serious.” he said starting to climb.

“You know there’s no way off the roof right?” she started staring gormlessly at him. “How does that help us?”

“Just-” he breathed in deeply to recover the air he had lost. “-trust me.”

She made a series of strangled sounds. “And why should I do that!?” she exclaimed.

“Because I haven’t tried to kill you yet.” he said without stopping.

Behind him he heard a frantic sound of frustration before she began climbing after him. “Fine! But you better have some form of plan!”

“Trust me darling. I always do!” he said. ‘It’s just that they’re all usually awful.’ he thought to himself.

* * *

“What idiot invented stairs.” Flinn whined loudly as the two of them burst out onto the restaurant roof. “Nasty-exhausting-things.” His breathing was still laboured, but he refused to allow his body the breather it so desperately wanted

“Oh quit your griping.” she said. “Now tell me how you plan to get us off this roof!?”

He looked around in the sky, but all he could see were the flashing lights of police cruisers milling about the area. He opened his comm link. “Rascal!? Where are you!?” A moment later he got his answer as the sound of the Merlin’s roaring engine pulsating off to his left drew his focus. The ship was flying fast and low towards them over the neighbouring rooftops, four police cruisers in hot pursuit behind it. Flinn pointed to it. “Ah.” he said perking up. “There’s our ride now!”

“That ship!?” she said incredulously. “How do you expect us to get on board!?”

“Well that’s easy.” he said raising his finger. “We simply-” 

'How do we get on board?’ he asked himself. 

“-hmmm. Good question…” he finished muttering to himself. 

“Very encouraging” she said. “Glad to see you know what you’re doing.”

“Just give me a moment alright. I just need to think about-” The echoing sound of footsteps running up stairs boomed eerily from behind the door.

“Think faster!” she exclaimed.

Flinn looked around in desperation. Looking up, he could see the Merlin was nearly upon them now. ‘How do we get out of this!?’ he thought panickedly. But luckily for the two of them, there was more than just the two of them trying to work out how they could get off this roof.

“Cable incoming!” Rascal suddenly exclaimed quickly into his ear. “Grab her now if she’s coming!”

Flinn spent a split second standing there like an oversized stump, unsure as to what the AI had meant. Then the obviousness of what it was hit him, and he mentally face palmed. He rapidly moved to wrap his arm tightly around her waist as the Merlin roared past overhead. 

“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK-” she yelled. Flinn ignored her protests as he focused on catching the ships tow cable, which sat trailing long behind the Merlin itself. As the ship raced passed them he leapt and slipped his free hand around it. It was at times like these Flinn was extremely grateful for the sins of his past, because thanks to them he possessed certain cybernetic enhancements, which allowed him to perform acts such as grabbing a tow cable which was moving at speed that by all rights should have ripped his arm clean off under the stress.

“ARE YOU INSANE!?” she screamed now wrapping her own arms around him as she clung on for dear life.

“We’re off the roof aren’t we!?” he yelled back over the deafening wind.

“HOW IS THIS BETTER!?” she roared.

“Well personally I-” he began. He was cut off as the cable violently yanked on him as it began retracting back into the ships open hold. His new companion continued to grip tightly on to him all the way back inside, and only let go when her feet touched the ground. She then abruptly shoved him away.

“Is that the thanks I get for saving you life!?” he said. “And that counts as six now by the way!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” she began ranting. “That was the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever-”

“Hold that thought.” he said raising a finger to her. “Rascal!” he yelled to the ship. “Take us orbital!”

The ship lurched beneath them. “Aye-Aye captain!” Rascal announced over the PA system. The two of them began stumbling backward as the floor began to slope as the ship angled increasingly upward. “Rascal!” Flinn said. “Gravity!? Please!?”

“Oh right. Yes of course. Always forgetting you organics and your addiction to gravity.” Rascal replied. The sloping abruptly ended as the floor itself suddenly became down once again. The both of them slumped down hard onto the floor at the sudden change.

The woman grabbed a nearby railing and pulled herself back up. Flinn simply lay on the floor trying to pull himself back together. Having rectified herself she stared at him for a moment, and he stared back at her. A silence persisted for a moment. “One.” she finally said. “You’re at one.”

Flinn laughed. “I’m afraid not sweetheart.” he said. “I think you need to learn how to count, cause it’s a cool six by my count.”

“Well I think you're full of it personally.” she smarmed. “But I’m a reasonable sort of gal. So I’ll give you two just cause I’m generous like that.”

“Whoa whoa hold on now. That’s not how-”

“What the hell are you two numbskulls counting for Garkanal’s sake!?” Rascal interrupted loudly.

“How many times I’ve saved her skin.” Flinn grinned.

“Actually it’s how many I’ve saved his skin.” she replied.

“It’s more of a fluctuating tally really.” Flinn said. “But in any case I’m ahead. Which means she owes me.”

She guffawed at him. “I don’t owe you shit!”

“Tell you what.” he said ignoring her comment. “You can work off some of that debt by doing two things for me.”

“And what exactly do you want?” she asked rolling her eyes.

“Well let’s start with a name. I always find that a pretty good starting place for any relationship.”

She eyed him for a second before looking away, her eyes looking blankly off into the distance. “Tabatha.” she said.

Flinn nodded and struggled back to his feet. “Well then. Very nice to meet you Tabatha.” he said walking over to her. He extended his hand. “The name’s Flinn.”

She turned back to face him. “Flinn huh?” she said looking hesitant to reciprocate the handshake. She stared at his hand apprehensively. “What’s the other thing you want?” she asked warily.

“Let's call it an offer of employment of sorts.” he said. “See I’ve been looking for someone to partner with for a while now and-”

“Hey!” cried Rascal scornfully over the PA. 

“With someone who breaths Rascal! Could never replace you buddy!” he called back.

“Oh...That’s fine then I guess.” came the AI’s response.

“Anyway.” Flinn continued. “Like I was saying. That whole thing back there, that was a hell of a resume. I really think you’re the person I’ve been looking for. So. What do you say? Want to partner up?” She stared blankly at him. Her face was totally unreadable. He couldn't even begin to guess what she was thinking. The silence persisted an awkwardly long time. Flinn’s hand began to cramp as he continued to hold it extended. He coughed. “Well?” he plied.

She seemed to snap back to reality at that. Her eyes took on a slightly feral look. “Do you ask all the girls to ‘partner up’ with on the first date?” she finally said.

Flinn grinned. “So is that a yes?”

She extended her hand and then swished it back up just before shaking. “One condition.” she said.

He cocked an eyebrow. “And what’s that?” he said.

“This makes us zero to zero.” she said very seriously.

He laughed. “HA! You drive a hard bargain Tabatha.” he paused for a moment. “Fine then. We’re zeroed.”

She shook his hand. “Deal then.”

“Welcome aboard then Tabs.” he said. The ship rocked beneath them.

“If you two are quite done with this painfully drawn out flirting thing then we are still being pursued you know.” Rascal said.

Flinn gave her a cheeky grin before dashing off towards the bridge. “Well then! Let’s hope your tenure aboard isn’t nearly over already!” he called back.

“God damn it!” she yelled chasing quickly after him. “What have I just agreed too!?”


End file.
